A memory structure has a vertically oriented access transistor with an annular gate region. A transistor is fabricated such that the channel of the transistor extends outward with respect to the surface of the substrate. An annular gate is fabricated around the vertical channel such that it partially or completely surrounds the channel. A buried annular bitline may also be implemented. After the vertically oriented transistor is fabricated with the annular gate, a storage device may be fabricated over the transistor to provide a memory cell.
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1. A memory device comprising:
a substrate;
a non-volatile memory storage device; and
an access device coupled between the substrate and the storage device, said access device comprising:
a vertical channel coupled between a first source/drain and a second source/drain; and
a ring-like gate region disposed about at least a portion of the vertical channel and configured to initiate conduction between the first source/drain and the second source/drain.
15. A processing system comprising:
a microprocessor; and
a memory device, said memory device comprising:
a substrate;
a non-volatile memory storage device; and
an access device coupled between the substrate and the storage device, said access device comprising:
a vertical channel coupled between a first source/drain and a second source/drain; and
a ring-like gate region disposed about at least a portion of the vertical channel and configured to initiate conduction between the first source/drain and the second source/drain.
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The present application is a divisional of U.S. application Ser. No. 10/637,557, filed on Aug. 11, 2003, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,205,598 the disclosure of which is herewith incorporated by reference in its entirety.
This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/230,568 filed Aug. 29, 2002, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,794,699 the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to memory devices, and more specifically, to random access memory devices having vertical access transistors.
2. Description of the Related Art
Semiconductor memory devices are widely used for storing data in systems such as computer systems. Random access memory devices include dynamic random access memory (DRAM), magnetic random access memory (MRAM) and programmable conductor random access memory (PCRAM) memory cells that are being developed for non-volatile data storage in computers and other information processing devices.
A DRAM cell typically includes an access device, such as a field effect transistor (FET), which is coupled to a storage device, such as a capacitor. The access device allows the transfer of charges to and from the storage capacitor, thereby facilitating read and write operations in the memory cell. The memory cells typically are arranged in a number of rows and columns to provide a memory array. DRAM cells require continual refreshing.
Recent developments in memory include MRAM and PCRAM devices. MRAM memory cells are vertical stacks of thin films with certain magnetic and conductive interactive properties. An array of these cells forms a row and column addressable memory array. Bitwise information is stored in each cell based on the relative orientation of magnetic moments in thin films of the cell. Magnetic tunnel junctions are examples of the type of thin film structures used in magnetic memory cells.
A PCRAM memory cell utilizes silver electromigration through a glass to form a contact when an electrical potential is applied across the plates of the cell. The contact may be broken by reversing the polarity of the potential and allowing reverse current to flow until the silver migrates back and breaks the connection.
MRAM and PCRAM do not require dynamic refreshing as does DRAM, and can be implemented without using a cell access transistor. Accordingly, MRAM arrays can be produced more efficiently (more bits per unit area) than DRAM. The lack of an access transistor, however, exposes MRAM cells to “sneak” currents through unselected cells, which requires compensation by sense circuitry in order to isolate the selected MRAM cell.
Memory cells, such as MRAM and PCRAM cells, would benefit from having an access transistor that would allow array efficiency to be preserved, while providing current isolation of the cells.
With the constantly increasing demand for higher data storage capacity, memory arrays are becoming more dense. Memory density typically is limited by current processing technologies used for fabricating the memory arrays. Thus, it also is desirable to increase memory density.
The present invention provides higher density memory arrays using vertical technology in fabricating the access transistors to provide memory bits with minimal leakage, thereby preventing the loss of storage cell data while preserving array efficiency. Further, alpha-particle induced soft errors that alter the data stored in the memory cells are reduced and simplified fabrication techniques also are provided.
The foregoing and other advantages of the invention will become more apparent from the detailed description of exemplary embodiments provided below with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:
One or more specific embodiments of the present invention will be described below. In an effort to provide a concise description of these embodiments, not all features of an actual implementation are described in the specification. It should be appreciated that in the development of any such actual implementation, as in any engineering or design project, numerous implementation-specific decisions must be made to achieve the developers' specific goals, such as compliance with system-related and business-related constraints, which may vary from one implementation to another. Moreover, it should be appreciated that such a development effort might be complex and time consuming, but would nevertheless be a routine undertaking of design, fabrication, and manufacture for those of ordinary skill having the benefit of this disclosure.
The terms “wafer” and “substrate” are to be understood as interchangeable and as including silicon, silicon-on-insulator (SOI) or silicon-on-sapphire (SOS), doped and undoped semiconductors, epitaxial layers of silicon supported by a base semiconductor foundation, and other semiconductor structures. Furthermore, when reference is made to a “wafer” or “substrate” in the following description, previous process steps may have been utilized to form regions, junctions or material layers in or on the base semiconductor structure or foundation. In addition, the semiconductor need not be silicon-based, but could be based on silicon-germanium, germanium, gallium arsenide, or other known semiconductor materials.
It should be noted that although the above description depicts the terminal of the access device that is coupled to the memory cell 16 as the source 20 and the other non-gate terminal of the access device as the drain 18, during read and write operations, the FET 14 may be operated such that each of the terminals 18, 20 operates at one time or another as a source or a drain. Accordingly, for purposes of further discussion, it should be recognized that whenever a terminal is identified as a source or a drain, it is only for convenience purposes. Thus, during operation of the FET 14 either terminal could be a source or a drain depending on the manner in which the FET 14 is being controlled by the voltages applied to the terminals 18, 20, 22 of the FET 14.
As previously described, the memory array of device 10 is arranged in a series of rows and columns. To implement data storage capabilities in each memory bit 12, an electrical charge is placed on the drain 18 of the FET 14 via a corresponding bitline (BL). By controlling the voltage at the gate 22 via the wordline (WL), a voltage potential may be created across the FET 14 such that the electrical charge at the drain 18 can flow to the memory cell 16.
The bitlines BL are used to read from, and write data to, the memory bits 12. The wordlines WL are used to activate the FET 14 to access a particular row of memory bits 12. The memory device 10 includes an address buffer 24, a row decoder 26, and column decoder 28 to control the wordlines WL and bitlines BL. The address buffer 24 controls the row decoder 26 and the column decoder 28 such that the row decoder 26 and column decoder 28 selectively access memory bits 12 in response to address signals provided on the address bus 30 during read and write operations. The address signals are typically provided by an external controller such as a microprocessor or other memory controller. The column decoder 28 may also include sense amplifiers and input/output circuitry to further enable data to be read from and written to the memory bits 12 via the bitlines BL.
In one exemplary mode of operation, the memory device 10 receives an address of a particular memory bit 12 at the address buffer 24. The address buffer 24 passes a row address to the row decoder 26 and a column address to the column decoder 28. The row decoder 26 selectively activates a particular wordline WL to activate the FETs 14 of each memory bit 12 connected to the selected wordline WL. The column decoder 28 selects the bitline (or bitlines) BL of the memory bit 12 corresponding to the requested column address. For a write operation, data received by input/output circuitry is coupled to the selected bitline (or bitlines) BL and is stored in memory cell 16 through the FET 14. The information corresponds to binary data (i.e., a logical “1” or “0”). For a read operation, data stored in the selected memory bit 12, represented by the potential state stored in the memory cell 16, is coupled to the selected bitline (or bitlines) BL and amplified by the sense amplifier; a corresponding output is provided to the input/output circuit in the column decoder 28.
The memory array of the memory device 10 may be fabricated using a variety of technologies. One particularly advantageous technique for fabricating the memory bits 12 is now described with reference to
In addition, by incorporating vertically-oriented access FETs 14, the memory bits 12 are less susceptible to alpha-radiation. The memory bits 12 have increased radiation hardness, and reduced potential for soft errors imparted by alpha particles produced, for example, from packaging materials, over bits with a non-vertically oriented access FET 14.
As can be appreciated, the specific heights and thicknesses of the features and materials described herein are exemplary in nature and for purposes of illustration. Accordingly, the exemplary dimensions provided herein are in no way meant to limit the scope of the present invention. Further, while the present exemplary embodiment illustrates pillars 33 that are perpendicular to the surface of the substrate 32, the pillars 33 may extend away from the surface of the substrate 32 at other angles. For instance, in an alternate embodiment, the pillars 33 may be fabricated at an angle in the range of approximately 45° to approximately 90° with respect to the surface of the substrate 32.
After formation of the pillars 33, an isolation layer, such as an oxide layer 34, is applied on top of the substrate 32, as illustrated in
Referring to
Referring to
Referring to
After deposition of the dielectric layer 46, the surface of the structure may be planarized such as by chemical-mechanical polishing/planarization (CMP). The surface of the structure is planarized to a point where the thin gate oxide layer 42 is removed from the top of the pillar 33 thereby exposing the silicon pillar 33. Finally, an n+ contact region 48 is formed at the top of the pillar 33. The n+ contact region 48 may be formed through gas diffusion or ion implant techniques, for example. The n+ contact region 48 forms the source 20 (
The completed access device (FET 14) is illustrated in
To complete the memory bit 12 (
One technique for fabricating the memory cell 16 begins by disposing a sacrificial oxide layer (not shown) on top of the structure described above and illustrated with reference to
Memory cell 16 can be fabricated by various methods, depending on the type of memory cell used in the memory device 10. An MRAM cell generally will include a free magnetic layer, a pinned magnetic layer, and a magnetic tunnel junction barrier disposed between the two magnetic layers. A description of MRAM cells in general, and an exemplary method of fabricating MRAM cells, are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,358,756, issued Mar. 19, 2002 and of common assignment with the present invention, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
Memory cell 16 also can be a PCRAM cell. A PCRAM cell generally will include a lower contact layer on which is disposed a PCRAM bit. PCRAM bits are resistance variable memory elements in which a metal containing layer is formed between a first chalcogenide glass layer and a second glass layer. One or both of the glass layers may be doped with a metal and one or more metal containing layers may be provided between the glass layers. An exemplary method of manufacturing a PCRAM cell is disclosed in pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/120,521, filed Apr. 12, 2002 and of common assignment with the present invention, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
Similarly, the wordline WL, may be patterned to provide a semi-annular ring.
Next, the thick signal conductor layer 44C is disposed, patterned and etched to form the wordline WL. The gate conductor layer 44B is electrically coupled to the signal conductor layer 44C. In one exemplary embodiment, the gate conductor layer 44B and the signal conductor layer 44C are each polysilicon layers. However, as can be appreciated, the gate conductor layer 44B and the signal conductor layer 44C may be different materials. For instance, the gate conductor layer 44B may be a polysilicon layer, while the signal conductor layer 44C may be a tungsten layer. To complete the structure, a dielectric layer 46B may be disposed to a thickness sufficient to cover the pillars 33, and the surface of the structure may be planarized, as previously described. Advantageously, by providing a thin gate conductor layer 44B coupled to a thick signal conductor layer 44C, a smaller pitch between structures may be implemented, thereby reducing cell size and overall die size.
As can be appreciated, while the present wordline and bitline structures are described as being fabricated through deposition techniques, other processes, such as a damascene process may implemented to form the wordlines and bitlines in accordance with the present techniques. Further, while the present exemplary embodiments have illustrated the annular gate structures with respect to DRAM memory devices, the present techniques may be implemented in a number of other applications, such as flash memory cells, SRAM memory cells, anti-fuse devices, image sensors and simple logic gates, for example.
The memory controller 902 is also coupled to one or more memory buses 907. Each memory bus accepts memory components 908. The memory components 908 may be a memory card or a memory module. Examples of memory modules include single inline memory modules (SIMMs) and dual inline memory modules (DIMMs). The memory components 908 may include one or more additional devices 909. For example, in a SIMM or DIMM, the additional device 909 might be a configuration memory, such as a serial presence detect (SPD) memory. The memory controller 902 may also be coupled to a cache memory 905. The cache memory 905 may be the only cache memory in the processing system. Alternatively, other devices, for example, processors 901 may also include cache memories, which may form a cache hierarchy with cache memory 905. If the processing system 900 include peripherals or controllers which are bus masters or which support direct memory access (DMA), the memory controller 902 may implement a cache coherency protocol. If the memory controller 902 is coupled to a plurality of memory buses 907, each memory bus 907 may be operated in parallel, or different address ranges may be mapped to different memory buses 907.
The primary bus bridge 903 is coupled to at least one peripheral bus 910. Various devices, such as peripherals or additional bus bridges may be coupled to the peripheral bus 910. These devices may include a storage controller 911, a miscellaneous I/O device 914, a secondary bus bridge 915 communicating with a secondary bus 916, a multimedia processor 918, and a legacy device interface 920. The primary bus bridge 903 may also coupled to one or more special purpose high speed ports 922. In a personal computer, for example, the special purpose port might be the Accelerated Graphics Port (AGP), used to couple a high performance video card to the processing system 900.
The storage controller 911 couples one or more storage devices 913, via a storage bus 912, to the peripheral bus 910. For example, the storage controller 911 may be a SCSI controller and storage devices 913 may be SCSI discs. The I/O device 914 may be any sort of peripheral. For example, the I/O device 914 may be a local area network interface, such as an Ethernet card. The secondary bus bridge 915 may be used to interface additional devices via another bus to the processing system. For example, the secondary bus bridge may be an universal serial port (USB) controller used to couple USB devices 917 via to the processing system 900. The multimedia processor 918 may be a sound card, a video capture card, or any other type of media interface, which may also be coupled to one additional devices such as speakers 919. The legacy device interface 920 is used to couple at least one legacy device 921, for example, older styled keyboards and mice, to the processing system 900.
The processing system 900 illustrated in
While the invention may be susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments have been shown by way of example in the drawings and have been described in detail herein. However, it should be understood that the invention is not intended to be limited to the particular forms disclosed. Rather, the invention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the following appended claims.
Bissey, Lucien J., Duesman, Kevin G., Voshell, Thomas W.
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